Justice Department Releases Human Trafficking Resources to Raise Awareness and Serve Victims

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today the release of a video series and resource guide to raise awareness about the many forms of human trafficking in the United States and to provide information on how to identify and serve its victims.  She also spoke with a group 20 survivors of human trafficking at a forum hosted by the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to seek survivors’ input about how federal agencies can most effectively address the crime of human trafficking.

“In an effort to bring human trafficking survivors’ voices to as many people as we can, we are proud to announce today the release of The Faces of Human Trafficking, a new video series sponsored by OVC,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “I applaud OVC and the producers for their work to present the strength and resilience of the survivors who were interviewed for the film, which will serve as an informative training, outreach and awareness tool for years to come.”

Created by OVC, the Faces of Human Trafficking multidisciplinary resource includes:

• Nine videos with Spanish subtitled versions;

• Public Service Announcements (PSAs) offered in Spanish, Thai, Hindi and Tagalog;

• Discussion guide;

• Four fact sheets; and

• Four posters

“Through heightened awareness, victim-centered services, and effective investigations and prosecutions, we can work together to fight the horrific crime of human trafficking and support survivors,” said Director Joye Frost of OVC.  “A crucial first step is to help everyone recognize the reality of trafficking in the United States, and we hope our new resource will do just that.”

The resource features voices of survivors of trafficking and is intended to educate service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors and others in the community about multidisciplinary approaches to serving victims of human trafficking, effective victim services and victims' legal needs.  It addresses the special considerations and needs of youth victims and describes promising practices for building effective collaborations among federal agencies to address human trafficking.  The posters are available for download and can be customized with information about training opportunities or local service providers.

For more information about OVC’s anti-human trafficking programs, please visit http://www.ovc.gov/trafficking.